Maternal Health 2016 Lancet Series

Every woman, every newborn, everywhere has the right to good quality care. This is the guiding message of the 2016 Lancet Maternal Health Series—the first such series in a decade of change. The Series shines a light on the causes (see figure 1), trends, and prospects for maternal health in the current era of rapid demographic, epidemiological, and socioeconomic transition. It analyses experiences of the past 25 years, and exposes the growing threat to progress caused by poor quality care and inequity of access.